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New Georgia development suggests a frontier-style mountain town

By: Jason Reynolds
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CHATTANOOGA VALLEY, Ga. — A development described as a frontier-style mountain town is springing up in this rural 21st century Georgia valley.

“Cloudland Station is a retreat that harkens back to historical times,” said John Tatum, CEO of developer Firefly Communities.

Homes and other structures at Cloudland Station are being designed in a late-1700s to early-1900s frontier style, he said. The development, at 9862 State Highway 193 in Walker County, is being created as a self-contained community, with such features as a country store, sweet shop, mill and Appalachian opera house, or theater.

Mr. Tatum said that he and his partners, Chuck Lyle and John Patton, are so confident in their new design that Cloudland Station will be the first of several such communities centered on Chattanooga over the next several years.

The developers style the community as America’s first Cottage-Towne, a place where residents will be able to escape the bustle of modern life in an old-fashioned community. Sixty-five of 250 lots have been sold. People wanting a second home are the majority of the buyers, Mr. Tatum said, although about one in six have said they plan to live there full time. Most of the people have children of all ages, from newborns to grown children in college.

“Cloudland Station offers a private town and cottages in late 1800s architecture with all the modern conveniences, including state-of-the art appliances and high speed Internet,” Mr. Lyle said in a statement.

Staff Photo by Jason Reynolds A model home at Cloudland Station is visible from a covered bridge in the Chattanooga Valley development.

homes follow amenities

A model house has been built, one house is under construction and two homes’ designs are undergoing architectural review, Mr. Tatum said. Several other homes are under construction, but those houses will belong to the homeowners association, which will use them as guest cabins for home buyers who want to visit the development but whose house hasn’t been completely built, he said. The cabins will be used for lodging for residents’ guests after the development has been built out.

Atlanta-based Firefly Communities has spent the past year and a half and $10 million to $15 million building the infrastructure and most of the amenities before focusing on marketing, Mr. Tatum said. The pre-sales have mostly happened by word of mouth, although the project does have a Web site.

Cloudland Station’s completed amenities include a treehouse for children to play in, which was built by TreeHouse Workshop of Seattle; four lakes for such activities as canoeing and fishing; a sweet store; and a covered bridge. A mill has been partly built, with a water wheel to be added. The mill will be used in some capacity, Mr. Tatum said, perhaps to churn ice cream. He said he plans to open a small coffee shop on the second floor of the mill.

Other amenities have yet to come online, including a barn to house various recreational activities; a nondenominational church; a school house, which will serve as a library; a town hall for the homeowners association; and a theater, or opera house.

Outdoor recreation and conservation are strong themes at Cloudland Station. About 360 acres of the property’s 450 acres have been set aside for conservation, Mr. Tatum said. There are walking trails throughout the wooded development, which runs up a mountain. And, there is a mile-deep cave available for exploring, he said.

PRICE, HOME STYLES

Lots are priced from $109,000 to $199,000, and lot sizes are typically from one-tenth of an acre to 1 acre. The development will have “no McMansions,” a common term for large mansions.

Most subdivisions that have covenants regulating home sizes focus on ensuring homes have a minimum size. But Mr. Tatum said that his development restricts the maximum size “so you don’t compete with the Joneses.” The ground floor can only be up to 1,500 square feet large, he said, though basements and second floors don’t count toward the size restriction.

Cottages will cost from about $165,000 to about $600,000 to build, in addition to the lot costs, Mr. Tatum said. He said he reserved most of the prime view sites for community use instead of carving them up for the most expensive lots, which most developers do. That’s his business model.

“I’m selling to people who do not normally buy in these developments,” Mr. Tatum said. “There are no competitors this way. People appreciate the details. Some of our buyers could have mansions but don’t want that.”

Home design restrictions include the required use of stone, with materials indigenous to the area, and specifications for mortar joint sizes, colors and other features, to create a late-1700s to early-1900s look, Mr. Tatum said.

Mr. Tatum, an Atlanta resident, said he found the property while taking his children on a drive through the countryside. His mother is from Chattanooga, and his uncle is Herb Barks, former headmaster of Baylor, he said.

Mr. Tatum said he is partner emeritus of Tatum LLC, an executive services and consulting firm with nearly 1,000 partners in 37 offices around the nation.

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